Teenager jailed for seven years after child rape

December 17, 2008

Updated: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 (09:35)

A TEENAGER was sent to prison for seven years after he deliberately infiltrated a family and raped a child. Martin Godfrey, 17, from West End, Somersham, was 16 at the time of the offences. He was sentenced yesterday (Tuesday) after he was found guilty

A TEENAGER was sent to prison for seven years after he "deliberately infiltrated a family" and raped a child.

Martin Godfrey, 17, from West End, Somersham, was 16 at the time of the offences.

He was sentenced yesterday (Tuesday) after he was found guilty at an earlier hearing of two counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault against a child under 13.

He was cleared of a fifth charge of indecent assault.

He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges which related to offences that took place between August and December 2007.

Sentencing him at Peterborough Crown Court, Judge Sean Enright described Godfrey as "grossly immature" and of "limited intelligence.

He said that Godfrey had "deliberately infiltrated" a family for only one reason and the assaults had taken place over months. He also lifted reporting restrictions and said the defendant should be identified so the public know who he is.

He added that if Godfrey had been an adult he would have been facing a prison sentence of 12 or 13 years.

The judge added that he had ruled out an indeterminate sentence because the judge believed the danger Godfrey presented could be managed.

Instead Godfrey was sentenced to seven years for each charge of rape to run concurrently with no extra penalty for the charges of indecent assault. The 28 days he has spent in custody since his conviction will be deducted from the time he will serve.

Speaking for Godfrey, who sobbed with his head in his hands through most of the hearing, solicitor, John Fitzpatrick told the court that the offences had been a matter of Godfrey taking advantage of a situation which presented itself, rather than having been pre-planned.

"He found himself in the presence of girls unsupervised and he took the opportunity."

Mr Fitzpatrick said that Godfrey had a supportive family whose members had been extremely distressed by the case.

He was arrested in January and the case had been hanging over him until now.

Mr Fitzpatrick said that Godfrey had been well enough behaved in detention to have merited a "silver" grading.

Godfrey was also ordered to sign the sex-offender's register and was banned indefinitely from having any contact with his victims or from working with children.

The judge ordered him to serve half his sentence before he can be considered for release on licence and for that licence to run until the end of his sentence.